


Love and Marriage

by Anonymous



Series: Winx Stories [7]
Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV), Winx Club
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Royalty AU, jealous riven, princess musa, protective riven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29182542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: When the Queen announces Musa will marry Prince Harvey to strength ties between Alfea and Melody, Riven-Well, Riven isn't happy.
Relationships: Musa/Riven (Winx Club)
Series: Winx Stories [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137782
Comments: 12
Kudos: 172
Collections: Anonymous





	Love and Marriage

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to try a slightly alternate universe....

The tiara is a fine, silver band with a sharp set of wings flicking up on either side. 

It's embedded with some of the rarest gems in Alfea, and when the Queen, her mother, but right now, first and foremost: the Queen, sets it on her head, Musa just feels the unbearable weight of it. 

She swallows, tries to keep her emotions in check, tries to keep her walls up high, because the Castle's court is full of people. She rises up from her courtesy, tries not to let their emotions filter in, nor hers trickle out, and she tries to smile. 

"What a wonderful princess you'll make." The Queen murmurs, touching Musa's chin and lifting her face.

In the crowd, Musa finds him. She always does.

He's leaning against one of the vine-wrapped marble pillars, and his eyes are burning with emotion.

She can hardly bear to look at him.

"Musa of Melody will wed Prince Harvey in July!" The Queen beams, and the crowd breaks into applause, and all Musa feels is the weight of the tiara, and all Musa sees is Riven's eyes. 

***

The moment they're alone, Riven has her pinned to the wall, and his lips are on hers. 

She can feel him. _Anger. Love. Heartache._ All wrapped into one. She kisses him back and just projects how much she adores him. How much she wants him.

It works a little way, but frustration still simmers beneath his skin. 

"I won't let it happen." He whispers, when they finally pull apart. His fingers tremble over her collar bones, over the necklace he gave her. "I'm not gonna let her fucking marry you off to some dick you haven't even met."

"It's just politics to her. A stronger alliance between Melody and Alfea-"

"I don't fucking _care!"_ Riven yells, rearing away from her. He's decked out in black, in the Alfea Army Uniform, most likely just back from his duties. "I'd rather there was a fucking war, Musa, than to see you forced into this."

She doesn't know what to do. His emotions are swirling through the air and she feels light-headed. She's not sure what the future holds. She hasn't, not since the Queen announced the engagement plans. She'd just kept moving forward. Shuffling along; dazed, trying to get through each day. 

"Maybe we should just go," she croaks, petrified. "Me and you, we can just- leave. Maybe we can go into the First World. Hide. Live our lives there. Start again."

In three long strides Riven's back across the room. He stands over her, love written all over his face. "You'd leave all of this?" He whispers, "for me?"

"Of course I would."

His hands go to her tiara. He lifts it off her head and the silver glints on his fingers. 

His eyes close. 

"I can't."

She knows that. His dad, trapped in the dungeons beneath the castle, will be a tethering chain for him always. An unresolved thread of fate, wrapped tight around his legs. 

"But I want to." He insists, "I would do anything- maybe, we can talk to the Queen. Maybe I can explain."

Riven kisses her again, and Musa doesn't have the heart to tell him she already tried. 

***

The Queen, her mother, is condescending when she means to be comforting. She hugs Riven and she hugs Musa, and she tells them that first loves always feel like the end of the world, but once they're all grown up, the feelings will fade and flit away, and leave only happy memories. 

The moment she's gone, Riven hurls three daggers at the spot where she was. 

Musa feels an anchor in her stomach. 

"Riven," she whispers, reality dawning on her. "What am I going to do?" 

"I'll figure something out." He vows. "I will." 

***

She's been dolled up in some lilac frock with pouffy trains and sequins, and though she can't argue with the results in the mirror, she certainly isn't feeling very comfortable. 

Riven is pacing like a caged-up tiger, and Musa sits by the windows, straining her neck to see any approaching carriages. 

Today is the day she meets her husband-to-be.

"You never know," she jokes weakly, trying to lighten the mood, "maybe he'll take one look at me and run. That'd solve all our problems."

Riven looks at her. Takes in the long, purple skirt of her dress, the way it sits against the chest, and the long tresses of her hair. He looks at that fucking tiara. "Musa," he sighs, the anger draining out of him just at the sight of her. "He'd have to be blind. You're...sublime."

"Oh?" She teases, grinning at him, "I'm sublime, am I?" 

He laughs, and when she stretches her hands out to him, he comes like a sailor being beckoned by a siren, and he kisses her softly. 

Outside, there's the sound of horses, and a carriage pulls up. 

***

Riven jams his knife into one of the burlap practise sacks and seeds spill out all over the floor. The other soldiers give him a wider berth than normal. 

Not that he notices. He's seeing red; crimson that fringes on the edge of his vision. Anger and jealousy and _hatred_ so strong it's almost pungent. 

Fucking Prince Sam.

He hadn't known what to expect, he'd tried to prepare and brace himself for any eventuality, but a smiley, sweet-natured, even-tempered earth fairy with the ability to make Musa _blush?_ That's not what Riven signed up for. Not what he fucking agreed to. 

"Isn't this...a good thing?" Sky says carefully, keeping his shield up and not coming closer than five feet. "If she's forced to marry someone, isn't it good that it's not a dick?" 

Riven storms away. Of course it is. _Of course it is._ Of course he doesn't want Musa marrying a dick. He wants her to be happy, but he didn't want- he didn't think he'd have to see her with a fluffy-haired dork with a shiny crown.

He prowls around the palace, sees the two of them (the _young lovers_ the Kingdom has taken to calling them) strolling through the gardens.

He watches as Sam stoops low and plucks a flower. He presents it to Musa, who has on her tiara and another satin gown, and Musa takes it with a shy smile. 

Riven's chest aches. A throbbing agony. 

He can remember that morning, holding Musa in his arms, how she'd said she'd rather spend the rest of eternity with him, right there. 

It sure as shit doesn't look that way now. As Sam offers her his arm and helps her over a fucking puddle. 

He takes it out on her. 

***

"Don't be like this, Riven," Musa insists, tugging at his arm. He shakes her off and Musa can feel herself sinking. Feel herself drowning without him.

His mind is a furious stir of anger and jealousy. "Be like what?" He yells, and he's got bruises on his knuckles and she wonders what the hell happened at training. "I'm not allowed to be angry?" 

"There's no need to be jealous-"

"Stay the fuck out of my head."

"-I love _you."_

"Well it sure doesn't look like it," he scoffs, face twisted into an ugly sneer. "What, Musa? You saw his crown? Saw his Kingdom? Fell for him after only two weeks? I'm not fucking blind. I see the way you look at him."

She takes a deep breath. Tries to look past his words and read his emotions. _Fear. Jealousy._ He's lashing out. "Riven," she begins gently, with all the patience she can. "I love _you._ Sam? He's...well, it turns out he's not a total dick, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I don't hate him like you do, but he's not a bad guy. He was forced into this marriage too, and he's just getting on with it. I'm just playing my part. I don't _want_ to marry him. You know if I could, I'd marry-" she cuts herself off, scared of what might come out. 

Riven turns away from her. "Well, you can't. So you might as well."

"Might as well what?" She asks angrily.

"Might as well fall for him. Marry him. Whatever the fuck else."

"You don't mean that, I can hear what you're feeling-"

"Come on, Musa!" He yells, turning to face her, anger on all his features. "Like this was ever going to last. Like we were ever anything serious. Your soulmate's here, he's waltzed through the walls on the Queen's demand, and you should be with him."

She shakes her head, wants his arms around her, wants to understand why he keeps lashing out. "This is so difficult." She whispers, wrapping her own arms around herself to keep together. "This is so difficult. I know, I know, it sucks for you, Riven, but it sucks for me too." 

"Would you still leave? Right now? With me?" He asks, and a new emotion filters into the room. Clear as day. 

_Betrayal._

She stares at him: aghast. In his head, she's already lost to him. He's already shunned her. 

"You don't think I would." She whispers, and his jaw clenches. 

"I told you to stay out of my head, Musa."

"I would if you ever just _told_ me how you feel-"

"I feel _sick._ Sick to my stomach at you smiling at this guy, indulging him-"

"I don't have a choice!"

"Flirting with him! You're gonna fucking marry that guy in a week? Is that what's going to happen?" _Desperation, desperation, desperation._

"Everyday," she says, through tears, "I spend hours in the library looking for a way out of this. Some legal loophole. _Something._ I can't find anything, Riven, I don't know what you want me to do. You're pushing me away-"

An attendant comes in then, and immediately looks as though they regret it. 

Riven stalks out and the door slams behind him and Musa breaks down into tears.

***

Riven's not talking to her. 

Takes great pains to avoid her. 

Musa feels alone. Gone are their secret smiles and glances. Stolen kisses. She gets a glimmer, here and there, of his emotions. But they seem darker now. Broiled with hatred and distrust. 

"Hello, empath," Sam says softly, in a fancy tunic and a sword in his holster that he doesn't know how to use. His gold crown sits atop his curly hair. "Would you like to walk the grounds with me?"

Musa gets to her feet and lets him lead the way. 

Sam is sweet, and nice. Like lukewarm sugar-water. She thinks they could probably be best friends some day. 

"So," he says, sticking is hands in his pockets. "Marriage. A wedding."

She looks at the gravel beneath their feet. "Yup." 

"Bit weird, isn't it? The arranged-marriage thing."

"It really is." 

He stops, suddenly, and takes her shoulders. "I want to try something." He says, out of the blue. 

Musa blinks up at him in surprise. "Uh...what is it? Should I be worried?"

"Musa, I like you. I think you're great, and honestly, I was sort of expecting the worst when I heard about this. But you're...you're amazing. No complaints. But... marriage. My parents have a great one. There needs to be a spark, and I want to see if we have one."

She can't help but laugh. "You mean, you want to kiss?"

He nods. He's like a puppy. Riven would absolutely hate him. The thought makes her smile. 

But she sobers: "Sam, what if there is no spark? Would you-" hope blossoms in her heart. "Would you call off the wedding?"

"I mean, yeah- if-if you agreed. I know how important this is for your Kingdom, so if you really wanna marry me-"

"Let's kiss." Musa interrupts, rolling on the balls of her feet eagerly. "No spark, I say we call off the whole thing. You deserve a marriage like your parents."

He smiles at her, delighted. "Okay, yeah, awesome, let's do it-"

She pulls him down by his neck tie and kisses him.

It's perfect. There's not a spark in sight. 

What she means is- it's fine. Perfectly _fine._ And nothing at all, _at all,_ like the fire she feels when kissing Riven.

They pull apart, and the world hasn't tilted to the side. Fireworks haven't gone off. Everything is just as it was. A fine summer day.

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's a shame." He says, but he knocks her shoulder with his. 

"Damn shame." She lies.

"But I think we'd make great friends."

Now she gets to be honest. "Oh absolutely," she agrees, excited at the prospect, "excellent friends."

***

The Queen is going to be angry, but Musa doesn't give a shit. She needs to find Riven, needs to tell him-

She's yanked into a dark hallway, and she's kissed. 

It's full of sparks. Full of passion. Full of love.

It's Riven.

He kisses her hard, like he's been starved of her. 

But when he pulls away, his face is closed off, his eyes are guarded. "Is that how it felt?" He whispers, voice like ice, "when _he_ kissed you?"

She should've known he'd be spying. 

Suddenly, she just feels tired. Drained. He's been ignoring her for days, and she'd been so happy to see him, and now he's here, and he's all closed off and angry, and-

"I'm going." She says, ducking out from his arms and striding into a sunlit hall. 

It takes a beat, before he follows her. "So, that's it? You're just-"

"The wedding's off, Riven." She tells him, whirling on her heel. "I was coming to tell you, but you're _such_ a dick. Thank you, for being so supportive during this really difficult time for me. Thank you for managing to think about someone other than yourself- oh wait. You didn't do any of that-"

He pins her to the wall, kisses her, shuts her up, and when they pull apart, his eyes are watery. She's struck by the sight of tears. 

He doesn't cry. He _never_ cries. 

"I'm a dick." He whispers, chest-heaving. "I thought I'd lost you- I thought I was losing you." 

She hits him, relief making her giddy with glee. "You nearly did. Jerk."

They look at each other, and break into giggles. 

He kisses her forehead, and she feels his laughter rumble through his body. "I was looking up poisons to kill him." He says into her hair. 

"Oh, _Riven."_

"I wasn't gonna let you marry him. I mean, an _Earth_ fairy? No."

"Oh yeah? What kind of fairy should I be marrying?" She teases, and suddenly he's looking at her, soft and open, and _her_ Riven again. 

"Maybe not a fairy at all." He murmurs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "maybe- a specialist. Someone who's had a ring ready for you since the second date. Or someone like that."

She opens her mouth, but words don't come out. He's kidding. He has to be-

"I'd give it to you," he hums, "but you're already wearing it." His hand goes to her necklace. The chain is so fine it's almost invisible, but the heart-pendant _clicks_ in his fingers, and splits into two, gold rings. 

Her eyes flicker from the rings to his face, and she swears her heart's stopped beating. "What the hell..." she whispers, "when did you become the most romantic person alive?" She's had this necklace for over a _year._

He unhooks it, unthreads the rings, and slides one onto his finger. "When I started dating you." He shrugs, and then he holds out her ring. 

She watches him slide it onto her finger and she pulls him down for a kiss. 

"This could start a war." She warns, "we've destroyed our ties with Alfea now."

Riven wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her tight against him. "Sweetheart," he drawls, "you're the only thing that matters." 

**Author's Note:**

> I love you and your comments!


End file.
